Time-controlled switch



W D. HARRISON AND F. E. BEST.

TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JAN-6.1919.

1,367,699. Patented Feb. 8,1921.

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T IME CONTROLLED SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED m4. 6. 1919.

1,367,699. Patented Feb. 3,1921.

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TIME CONTROLLED SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 6, I9I9.

Patented Feb. 8,1921;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- of the parts. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER D. HARRISON AND FRANK E. BEST, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

Time-CO TROLLED SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. t t 3,. 1921 Application filed January 6, 1919. Serial'No. 269,784.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'we, IV LTER soN and FRANK E. Bns'r, citizens of the United. Statesand residents of the cit of Seattle, county of King, and State of I ashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time Controlled Switches, of which the following is aspecification. p I

Our invention relates to improvements in devices employed in connection with and ac.- tuated by a clock for the purpose of automatically controlling the application of electric currents for predetermined periods, at the termination of which periods the, current is automatically turned off.

()ne of our objects is toprovide means for adjusting the device to vary the term during which the current is used, both as to the duration of said term and the position switch mechanism with a series of devices 9 to control the application ofcurrent thereto. I

Fig.2 shows'the front'faceof the clock.

Fig. 3is a front face view of the special mechanism *found Within the clock.

Fig. 4jis a section online A- -A of Fig.

3, limited mainly to the special mechanism emlployed.

. 5 is an enlarged section on the line C of Fig. 3, showing the manner of 'op-' erating the ratchet wheels.

Fig. 6 showsthe rear'end of the setting stem and the wing nut which is secured thereto for hand'operation thereof.

Fig. is an enlargededge view of a portion of the ratchet wheels and the pawl disk by which they are turned.

Fig. '8 is a section of the supporting andbeingon the line ofFig. 3.

Fig.9 is a section on the plane of the plate 53, which carries the pawls. Fig. 10 is a section of a metal cap which incloses and 'forms a frame members forthe ratchet wheels, this D. HARRI- view and a section on the line I ig. 16, oione of the special parts emhearing for certain Fig. 11 is a face view and Figs. 12, 13 and 14;, are sect1ons showing the member which carries the conductive helix which forms the",

stationary contact member.

Figs. 15 and 16 are, respectivel a face -R of ployed.

Figs. 17 and 18 are, respectively, an inner side face view and a section on the line Ir-L of the member which carries the insulating helix. I

' Figs. 19 and 10 are, respectively, face and sectional views on the line M-M of the member which carries one of the gears em ploy'ed in setting adjustment of our device. Fig. 21 is a section on line N-N of Fig. 3, showing gears 61 and '55. I

. Our improvements may be attached to or.

combined with any form of time mechanism which is found suitable for actuating the same. We have herein shown it as combined with a clock of a standard type of construction, and we will describe it as combined with such a clock mechanism, it being, however, understood that such combination is only given as illustrative of one manner of employingour invention and not as in anyway limiting its application to the partticular mechanism or to the particular purpose described.

In carrying outour invention we'empl'ov two helices, each or substantially a complete turn these being oi. like radius and inter-' meshing alter the manner of the threads oi" a double threads screw.

i I One of these llGllCQSCOIlSiJlfilliiBS a conducting element in an electric circuit and the other is an insu'lating element which acts an insulatmg shield for the first ment.

conducting ele In conjunction with these is-ayielding contact or'brush member which is caused 'to move .111 a circular path in synchronism with and actuated from the clock mechapreferred by us, isshown separate from the other parts in Figs. 11, 12,13 and 14. This member, indicated a whole by the character 47, has a cylindrical shell or rim 470, a concentric bearing hub 171, a"helicalradially extending flange 472, which, together with the body of the member, torms a helical groove 473, and has its cylindrical shell notched irom the opposite sides to form a series of projecting teeth or lingers 474 by which it may be rotatively interlocked with its driving member.

The other, or complemental member, which carries the helical insulating shield, is shown separate in Figs. 17 and 1S, and is indicated as a whole by the character 46. This has a cylindrical ring 460, a flange 461, projecting radially therefrom and sup plied with teeth by which the member is turned, and the inwardly projecting helical flange 462, this preferably extending through an angle of 360, or more. It also has a side or race projecting lug, or finger, 69, which is intended for rotative driving engagement with a complcmental lug, or linger, 68, carried by the member 60, shown separate in Figs. 15 and 16. Preferably the entire member 45 is made of an insulating material.

llhen assembled, as shown in Fig. 4, the two helical flanges 462 and 472, are screwed together so as to intermesh, utter the same manner as the threads of a bolt and nut. The member 4'? corresponds to tne bolt and to the nut. It may thus be seen that by turning these two members with relation to each other, the helical flange of the insulating member may be positioned to expose any angular extent of the conductive helical flange 472 from 0 to 360 The side or face of this flange, which is exposed to the rotating contact or brush member, is that which faces inward i th assembled device.

The metal or conductive member 47, is mounted for rotative adjustment upon an insulating member 50, which has a toothed flange 500, said member 50 being rotatively secured to the metal sleeve or thimble 49, as by being a close or press iit thereon. The thiznble 49 turns freely upon the metal journal pin 48, which latter is connected, as by wire 42, with one side of the circuit which is to be controlled. Pin 48 is shown as held in fixed position by having lianges 490, 491, which engage opposite sides of a plate 14, which plate is preferably of insulating material. One of these flanges, 491, may be swaged or set out after insertion of the pin in its hole in the plate.

A plate has a hole in which the thimble or sleeve 49 is fixed, so that the plate and thimble must turn together. The insulating member 50 has a transverse slot which receives the plate 51. Plate 51 has an end projecting beyond the periphery of this central hub of the insulating member 50. The radius of this projecting end is the same as of the helices 462 and 472, which are slightly removed therefrom. This end has a spring contact bar 52 secured by one end thereto, as by rivets It is shaped as a sector o'i' a circle, one end being loose and bent toward the helices 462 and 472, to contact therewith.

Mounted outside of and to turn upon the fingers 474 of part 47, is a metal ring 60 which has a peripheral tooth or projection, 68, positioned to engage with lug or linger 69, of part 46. It also has fingers positioned to enter openings 71 in the gear 670. The fingers 70 are of somewhat less angular extent or width than the length of the slots 71, whereby there may be a (ertain amount of lost motion between them. This is in amount substantially equal to the combined widths of the two lugs or fingers 68 and 69, for a reason which will be later pointed out.

The central hub (37 of gear 670 is in the form of a flat ring or short section of a tube and fits within the fingers 474 of part 47. This gear is preferably made of an insulating material, to thereby prevent contact with the brush ring 52 with the lingers 474. The ring 60 has an exterior rotatii'e hearing within a cup-like member 41, which is secured to the frame plate .14. and also has one side of the circuit connected therewith. The two sides of the circuit are joined through the member 4?, spring contact bar 52, plate 51 and stem The portion oi"? the twenty-four hour perod during which the circuit is thus closed, will depend upon the angular adjustment of the two helices 47:2 and 462, relative to each other.

The relations of these parts to each other may be told from an inspection of their outer exposed faces, which would appear as in Fig. 2, in which one is shaped to indicate that its surface is of an appearance which contrasts with that of the other.

By turning the insulating helix back until it is entirely ithdrawn beneath the conducting helix, the circuit will be closed throughout the twenty-four hours. By adjusting the two helices so as to project the insulating helix to entirely cover the conducting helix, the circuit will be maintained open throughout the twenty-four hours. An adjustment intermediate these extremes will give a period of closing corresponding with the angular extent of the conducting helix which is exposed, this occurring during the hours corresponding with the position of this exposed segment relative to the scale of hours.

The dial has a twenty-four hour system of numbering surrounding these parts, and a pointer or hand, 54, carried by the member 50 has its indications made to correspond with the usual clock hands. The gear 500, which is at one end of member 50, meshes with an idler gear 550, mounted on shaft 55, this in turn meshing with gear 560, secured upon the shaft 56 of the hour hand. As

l 0 ll 64 are mounted gear wheels 62and 65, each "of which, in addition to the spur teeth, have 1 side facing ratchet teeth 620 and 650, respectively, as isshown in Fig. 7, which represents a section taken lengthwise the zone of the ratchet teeth.

The gear wheels 62 and 65 are mounted to turn free from the stem 28. A convenient manner of doing this is by journaling them on frame brackets 63 and66, which are supported from one of the members of the clock frame, as from the plate 14. The disk 64 has spring tooth or pawl sections 641 and 642, out therefrom or secured thereto, and

projecting toward opposite sides in position to engage respectively with the ratchet teeth 620 and 650, to thereby turn the gears 62 and 65. The pawls 641 and 642 face in opposite angular directions, so that the disk 64 may turn one wheel in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. ,The

mounting of these wheels should present enough frictional resistance to prevent their turning'backward; or this result may be secured otherwise. i

The gear wheel 65 meshes directly with gear wheel 67 which controls the position of the conducting helix 472. Gear wheel 62 is connected to turn gear wheel 461,but through an idler 61, wherefrom and also due to the ratchet drive through which the gears 62 and 65 are turned, turning the stem28 in one direction will turn one of the gears 670 or 461 in one direction, while turning thestem in the opposite direction will turn ,the other of said gears 461 or 670 infthe same direction. helices through the same shaft.

By the use of the intermeshing helices,

one being conductive and the other non-conhours. By having both helices adjustable relative to their axis, the disposition or location of this period of contact within the twenty-four hours may be determined.

As stated above, the openings 71, through which the fingers 7 O and 474 pass, exceed inv width the width of the fingers by an amount equal to the combined widths of the lugs 68 and 69. If the lug 69 is started from one side-of the lug 68 and brought through a revolution to the other side of this lug, it will not have completed a full revolution of 360, and it is not desired to move the member 47 until this revolution is completed. Hence, after engagement of the lugs 68 and 69, they will move relatively to the member 47, by reason of the excess width of the openings 71, until the lug 69 has exactly completed a full revolution. The two helices and the indicating parts are then in their proper relative position.

lVhat we claim as our invention is: In an electric switch, a contact member movable in a circular path, a complemental conductive contact member extending within a like circularpath, and an insulating member having a corresponding circular extent, a common adjusting member for both said last named members and independent means operatively connecting said adjusting member with said insulating member and with its complemental conductive member to adjust these by turning said adjusting member in respectivel Y opposite directions.

Signed at eattle, Washington, this 30th day of December, 1918.

WALTER D. HARRISON. FRANK n. BEST.

It is thus possible to adjust both 

